Football’s lawmakers discuss VAR interventions on second yellows, countdowns on throw-ins – The Athletic
Football’s lawmakers have discussed the possibility of extending the Video Assistant Referee’s (VAR) reach to step in when an incorrect yellow card is given.
After the introduction of punishing a goalkeeper for holding the ball for more than eight seconds, which now results in a corner being awarded to the opposition, they also debated whether to apply a similar style countdown to other parts of the game, such as goal kicks and throw-ins.
The ideas were among several raised during a meeting of The IFAB’s (International Football Association Board) Football and Technical Advisory Panels (FAP-TAP) on Tuesday.
Under current rules, VAR can only intervene on straight red cards, not second yellow cards, that lead to a dismissal. Last season, Manchester City’s Rico Lewis was controversially given a second yellow card against Crystal Palace by referee Robert Jones, but the decision could not be overturned.
“In real-time, it looks a clear second yellow but when you see it again, it is the Palace player’s foot on top of Rico Lewis’ foot, not the other way around,” former Premier League referee Mike Dean said on Sky Sports at the time.
Referring to the same incident, former player Pat Nevin told BBC Sport: “Surely a second yellow so wrongly flashed should elicit a quiet word in the referee’s ear from the goggle-box watchers back at Stockley Park?”
Tuesday’s meeting of the FAP-TAP, chaired by Noel Mooney, chief Executive of The Football Association of Wales, centred around ways to keep matches flowing and reduce disruptions.
Long throws have come back into fashion in the Premier League this season. In the first six matchdays of the campaign, an average of slightly over one in four throw-ins from the attacking third of the pitch were sent into the penalty area, double the proportion of long throws from last season.
The meeting also featured a discussion on how best to make up for time lost in match, as a result of injuries and substitutions. The IFAB’s Football and Technical Advisory Panels, which consists of former players, coaches and refereeing experts, also discussed whether “marginal offside decisions” should be reduced, in order to promote more attacking football. They agreed the issue needed further analysis and trials.
All proposals spoken about today are currently recommendations but will be considered at the IFAB’s Annual Business Meeting, which is due to be held on January 20. From there, the agenda will be set for the Annual General Meeting on February 28.
